The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connector assemblies.
It is common in electrical connector technology to provide a plurality of wires for example in a harness configuration, attached to a first connector, and another plurality of wires attached to another harness in yet another complementary secondary connector. The first connector typically includes pin terminals while the second connector typically includes receptacle or socket terminals. Multiple considerations need to be considered in designing and manufacturing such terminals, particularly when the application to which the connectors will be subjected to, is considered.
For example, in the automotive field, when electrical connectors are required in a plurality of harness connections, the pins and receptacles are subjected to multiple adverse conditions. First, vibration from the engine or road conditions sometimes provides degradation to the pin and socket connection. Due to the inclement weather conditions in which the automobile needs to operate, most automotive connectors are also sealed, which prevents water, salt water or other contaminants from encroaching into the connector housing and degrading the electrical connection between the pins and receptacles. Thus for the sealing purposes, it is desirable to have the terminals be easily insertable through a seal member or a planar seal which seals the back of the electrical connector.
As the overall size of the connectors decreases and/or the desired density of the terminals increases, the terminals are being manufactured smaller and smaller. The robustness of terminals is problematic, particularly for the pins which are fragile and susceptible to damage during assembly and mating.
A need remains for a robust electrical connector assembly for electrically connecting two wire harnesses.